The present invention relates to a new and improved construction of machine for cutting the ends of leads or wires of printed-wiring boards, also known as printed circuits, at which there are mounted different types of components, and which machine is of the type comprising at least one rotating, driven cutting disk.
With such type machine the lead or wire ends protruding from the printed-wiring board at which there are mounted various standard electrical or electronic components, are cut to an adjustable length by means of cutting disks driven at high revolutions and arranged parallel to the printed-wiring board. The protruding lead or wire ends which are cut also encompass, apart from the leads of the mounted components, the remaining legs or the like of such components. Such type machine, depending upon the width of the printed-wiring board which is to be processed, possesses one or a number of cutting disks arranged in the same plane and in the throughpass direction of the printed-wiring boards, such cutting disks partially overlapping.
Due to the oftentimes hard material of the lead ends the cutting edges of the cutting disks are intensively loaded, so that with time these cutting edges no longer are sharp, and hence, the efficiency or output of the machine is limited. During continuous feed of the printed-wiring boards to be processed the pressure exerted upon the lead ends during the cutting operation increases with decreasing sharpness of the cutting edges. Consequently, there are produced irregular or unclean cutting locations, and, under certain circumstances, the lead or wire ends are even bent. To avoid these drawbacks it is necessary to regrind the cutting disks relatively frequently. For this purpose the cutting disks must be dismantled from the machine and exchanged for reground cutting disks. Oftentimes the exchange work also is associated with certain adjustment operations, so that, on the one hand, the machine must be stopped, and, on the other hand, the operating personnel must be employed for this additional work.